


Unfamiliar Territory

by soft_girl_musings



Category: The Arcana (Visual Novel)
Genre: F/M, Familiars, Female Apprentice (The Arcana), Fluff, Named Apprentice (The Arcana), Slice of Life, Tamar's familiar, in which Muriel is the voice of reason yet again, literally inspired by one gif of a bear doing something absolutely bonkers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-07
Updated: 2020-08-07
Packaged: 2021-03-06 04:14:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,263
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25767286
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/soft_girl_musings/pseuds/soft_girl_musings
Summary: In which Tamar and her familiar bend the rules of nature. What else is there to do when you're connected to a wild-born bear?
Relationships: Apprentice/Muriel (The Arcana), Muriel (The Arcana)/Original Character(s), Muriel (The Arcana)/Original Female Character(s)
Kudos: 12





	Unfamiliar Territory

**Author's Note:**

> Tons of pet names. Pet names for everyone. We stan verbal affection in this hut.

On any other day, these soft moments before dawn are the epitome of tenderness-- the fire having long since burnt out, my lover and I tangled in our routine mass of shared furs and body heat. Ever the early riser, Muriel would likely stir soon. For weeks I had been trying to wake before he did so I could savor the experience of resting my top half on his, lulled slowly to consciousness by the steady beat of his heart and the gentle rise and fall of his chest.

Today, however, I'm not lulled so much as I am rudely jolted by the sound of splintering wood.

When I flinch, two strong arms immediately envelop me. It seems I didn't beat him to rise today. But that's the least of my concerns.

I groan, still plastered to his bare chest, and my face moves with the gentle shaking Muriel's deep chuckle induces.

"Love, come get your bear," he murmurs, stroking my back to wake me further.

I huff and draw the blankets over my shoulders. "Before sunrise, she's your bear."

He kisses the top of my head before sitting up, dragging me with him. "Not how that works, love," he smirks. "You need to see her handiwork."

I don't have to look for her "handiwork" to feel its effect. Teeth chattering, I prop myself up on Muriel's abdomen and turn toward the door.

Well, what's left of the door.

In its place is a pile of planks and splinters scattered across the hut's floor. A few dead leaves scatter on a strong gust of wind, which sends chills down my spine. And in the midst of her destruction stands a sturdy cream-colored bear, staring blankly at me.

_"Mother."_

I hear her pointed address in my mind, like an impatient child.

"My darling, what did you do?" I shake my head as I reach across Muriel for my discarded sweater on the floor. Asenath lumbers toward the bed and sits on the sleeve before I can retrieve it.

**_"Mother,"_ ** she says again, impatient. This time it’s paired with a huff of hot breath across my face. I gag. It's too early for one of her tantrums.

"Darling, this is no way to get what you want. And if anyone should be upset, it's me and Baba. Right?" I look up to see Muriel covering his mouth, trying to hide a telltale grin. He's enjoying this.

"I have to feed the chickens," he manages to say before cracking an even wider smile. I playfully shove his shoulder as he abandons me and our blanket nest. I can hear him laugh openly as he steps over the debris and into the brisk morning outside. 

More alert, I sit up fully to face my familiar. She's a young bear, but growing quickly. Her off-white pelt is stark against the still-darkened hut. Asenath places one paw on the bed, huffing once more.

_"Hungry."_

I can't help but smile. I'd never expected it'd be easy raising a familiar-- let alone a wild-born bear as my own-- but no one ever mentioned how maternal it'd make me feel. I ruffle the fur on her head. "Let's get you some food, then, dearest."

  
  
  


By the time we restore the fire, dress, and eat a small breakfast, the sun has started to shine through the trees. Our little family begins our trek to the water: Inanna trotting ahead, followed by Asenath, both their snouts pressed to the ground. Muriel looks on with pride. 

"What?" I ask with a smile, noticing the gleam in his eye. He shakes his head and beams down at me.

"It's just... funny." Muriel nods toward our familiars, travelling thick as thieves. "Never would have guessed that a soft city girl would find such a wild companion." He cuffs my cheek affectionately. I pinch his back.

"I found you, didn't I?" I retort, waggling an eyebrow. He flushes red, but his smile remains. "Besides, I'm soft in the ways that matter. I think Asenath is, too." Sure, she was the world's worst wake-up call, but in the weeks since we brought her home, she had worked her way into my heart. We were the only family she'd had for a long time; she had begun to fit into the life Muriel and I had built for ourselves away from the rest of Vesuvia. It was hard to remember what life was like without the two of them by my side.

The next few hours pass by the secluded river, deep in the forest. Nature wakes up around us, offering a chorus of “good morning” calls as we share the space. Inanna rests next to me, all but demanding constant tummy rubs. We look on as our partners in crime attempt to out-fish each other: Muriel having waded knee-deep in the river, grasping at his prey, and Asenath lumbering over rocks and fallen logs, still searching for her prime hunting spot. While Muriel’s method is steady and cool, I eventually see that Asenath’s lack of success is frustrating her.

_"Dearest, look."_

I call out to her with my magic. She turns to see me by the riverbank, hands subtlety raised over the water. She cocks her head in interest.

_"Slowly, dear one. Come."_

She understands my command and carefully treks to the area I have in mind: a rocky bend in the river where the water shimmers a bit differently. My magic searches the water until it catches on something large-- and very alive. I raise my hands, trying to keep them steady as my target begins thrashing wildly inside the bubble I've conjured above the surface. A rainbow-scaled fish as long as my arm and thick as my thigh wriggles on the water's surface, trapped in plain sight.

Asenath knows what to do next. With a gleeful growl, she bounds over and dives teeth-first into the barrier. She emerges, drenched and victorious, with the gargantuan fish still writhing between her teeth. She lumbers to shore and sits next to me. I get to witness the deciding blow from her jaw that cause the poor creature to still.

_“Mother! Fish!”_ She looks between me and her kill, beaming with excitement.

‘You’re welcome, my darling,” I whisper with a wink as Muriel approaches.

“That’s cheating, Tamar.” He shakes his head and throws his modestly-laden net over his shoulder. He’d caught just enough for the two of us.

I point to the sky. “Sun’s up. My bear, my rules.” I gather my things and make for the path home, but Muriel catches my shoulder as I pass.

“I’m serious.” His eyes, while kind, hold a silent warning. “There is such a thing as being too soft out here.”

I sigh and turn back toward the river. Asenath’s creamy fur is stained pink as she tears into her breakfast. She looks up at me and gives a contented grunt.

I know I shouldn’t pamper Asenath. As much as she is mine, she belongs even more to the wild. Spoiling her creates an imbalance, and I don’t want to make this transition harder than it should be. But I can’t help but feel a motherly pride for my familiar when we fall into our own way of doing things. 

“Just let us have today, Muri. The wilderness can take her tomorrow.”

My face must say everything my mouth doesn’t, making Muriel drop the net and hold me close. “One step at a time, City Girl.” I blush against his chest. “We’ll find the middle ground. Together.”

“Yeah,” I sigh into his embrace. “Together.”

**Author's Note:**

> Asenath is a Kermode Bear (or Spirit Bear), which is native to British Columbia and absolutely holds my heart. The entire inspiration for this story came from this post on tumblr and I am not ashamed (https://soft-girl-musings.tumblr.com/post/624540875288150016/theriverwashesaway-oh-come-in-come-in-i)
> 
> Looking forward to writing their first meeting in Frankincense and Myrrh! Thanks for reading!!!


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